Wednesday, September 26, 2007

I just finished this mural today for one of Westchester ARC's group homes for the severely disabled, in Mohegan Lake, NY. The wall was already painted this blue color - the director wanted me use it as the base color for the mural. As you can see, the mural does not cover the entire wall, they plan to put up a chair rail moulding and paint the bottom a light beige to match the rest of the room.

I had a great time painting this mural, especially knowing that it was for a good cause. We are hoping that it will be therapeutic and a great stimulation for the men and women who will be living in this home.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Old World Plaster is one of my favorite textured faux finishes. There are several types of plaster. Some are smooth and some have a rough/sandy texture. I like to use the smooth finish plaster. It is achieved in four different steps. First the plaster is troweled onto the walls. The second step is lightly sanding with a fine grit sanding pad. I then base coat the walls with 2-3 coats of latex satin or pearl finish paint. Any color can be used according to your taste. I often use a lighter tone so the glaze shows up more. The last step is the glazing. It is always done with a darker color. I use a square kitchen sponge (dipped into a bucket of water then rung out)and wash it into the texture of the plaster in a circular motion. I then wipe the glaze off the wall, so that most of the glaze settles into the recessed areas of the plaster. The glaze brings an antique look to the wall. The Old World Plaster paint finish can easily cover any simple imperfections that were previously in the wall. This beautiful and rich faux finish gives the wall so much dimension and character.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

I have recently signed up for an awesome photo gallery site designed specifically for murals & faux finishes. I have posted several pictures of my work and it has been an awesome place to use as reference. The nice part, too, is that other artists can post comments about your work. In order to see full size images, the cost is $29.95 per year, which isn't too bad.

About the Artist

My name is Dawn Papandrea-Khan. I am an artist and decorative painter out of Putnam County & Westchester County, NY. I am also a wife and mother of 2 small children (ages 2 & 3). I have to say that I am definitely living my dream. I have always loved to paint and draw. I grew up in a family of artists, so I had many opportunities to watch others be creative. This has been such a wonderful outlet for me to express my passion for art and design.

I started out teaching Elementary Art Classes for the Yorktown Christian Academy2nd through 8th graders for over 3 years. I taught Decorative Painting Classes for the Putnam Arts Council located in Mahopac, NY. I also studied and worked with listed artist and muralist Nicholas Berger.

I started Surfaces with Paint in 2001. Since then, I have worked closely with local homeowners and business owners alike in designing the spaces that best suit their wants and needs. What is different about hiring me as opposed to another painting company, is that I am not just a painter, I am an artist. I do all the work myself from start to finish. I am a very detailed and particular person. I am a perfectionist and I do not settle for less than that. My top priority is to make the customer as happy as they can be.